Northern Tool + Equipment opens first suburban store in Mount Prospect

Mount Prospect is welcoming the arrival of national retailer Northern Tool + Equipment to the village's Rand Road corridor.

Representatives of the Minnesota-based chain and village officials last week celebrated the opening of what is Northern Tool's first suburban store, located in a former Office Max space at 201 W. Rand Road.

"I know you're going to be well received. Who doesn't want tools?" Mayor Paul Hoefert said. "Anybody who says retail is dead is wrong. This is going to be a prime example of that."

Mount Prospect Community Development Director Bill Cooney said the opening is a "big win" for the village, given how difficult it can be to fill large retail vacancies like the store's 20,000-square-foot location. The store is expected to generate $80,000 to $100,000 in annual sales tax revenue for Mount Prospect, he added.

It also will employ about 20 workers, officials said.

"We have a very different approach to retailing. We are all about high service to our customers," said Suresh Krishna, president and CEO of Northern Tool + Equipment. The target market includes tradespeople and consumers who are "serious DIYers."

He views the new location as a perfect marriage of merchandise and market.

"Chicago is an attractive market that we have not addressed," Krishna added.

Northern Tool has 121 stores in 22 states, but prior to the Mount Prospect store opening, the nearest locations to the suburbs were in West Allis, Wisconsin and Merrillville, Indiana.

But Joe Apolloni, senior vice president of retail operations, said there are five other area locations planned.

Besides national tool brands, the stores carry generators, Northern Tool's own line of pressure washers and have a service shop in every location.

"A lot of the products we sell are weather-driven products, for snow, ice, flooding, hurricanes," Apolloni said.